Singapore's national science administration resembles a Hollywood studio during the golden age of motion pictures: it has the money to launch big projects and the centralized authority to see them through. It also expects big returns on its investment and sometimes keeps its stars on a short lead. As such, the Singapore science studio is once again unrolling the red carpet. Five years after debuting Biopolis, a life-sciences blockbuster cluster, the Singapore government is unveiling Fusionopolis, its physical-sciences sequel (see page 1144). The Biopolis box office results have been mixed; the S$500-million (US$340-million), seven-building complex signed star scientists, produced an avalanche of publications and attracted satellites from several multinational companies and world-class universities. But it has yet to generate sufficiently impressive technology-transfer returns. The twin-tower sequel - with its emphasis on microelectronics, materials, communications and computing research - is perhaps a safer bet. Basic life-science research often takes decades and hundreds of millions of dollars to yield a result, whereas materials and information technology tends to need just a few years and a few million dollars.
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